Staff Project Manager
Job description
About the role
You will own the end to end lifecycle of federal robotics and autonomy programs from initial discovery and requirements capture through deployment and post delivery optimization. You will act as the primary interface between our technical teams and federal customers, translating complex mission needs into clear program plans and execution roadmaps. You will drive alignment across engineering field operations product and business teams to ensure solutions are delivered on schedule and within scope. Your decisions will directly influence how risk aware and field ready our AI systems become through real world testing and rapid iteration. You will champion a culture of rigorous execution continuous learning and data driven improvement in every deployment. You will ensure that program milestones are met deliverables are validated and that each project advances the strategic objectives of Field AI in embodied intelligence. You will also prepare high impact communications that translate technical progress into clear narratives for executives investors and government stakeholders.
Key facts
What you'll do
Define and manage complex multi year federal programs creating detailed project plans milestones and deliverables that reflect evolving mission requirements.
Translate high level government needs into structured requirements user stories and acceptance criteria that engineering teams can implement and validate.
Coordinate cross functional collaboration among engineers field operators product managers and business development to maintain alignment on priorities and trade offs.
Develop and maintain comprehensive program schedules tracking interdependencies critical paths and resource allocation across technical workstreams.
Monitor project performance using quantitative metrics identify emerging risks and issues and drive timely corrective actions to protect delivery commitments.
Lead stakeholder engagement activities including briefing materials status reports and executive summaries to ensure transparency and informed decision making.
Prepare proposals and response materials that address government solicitations and support capture efforts in the federal market.
Manage budget forecasts and financial tracking to ensure programs remain within approved funding parameters while maximizing value.
Perform rigorous risk and opportunity analysis documenting mitigation strategies and contingency plans for technical schedule and compliance challenges.
Support go to market readiness activities ensuring that deployed systems meet performance safety scalability and regulatory standards in operational environments.
Coordinate with export control and security teams to ensure compliance with ITAR EAR and other relevant regulations for international programs.
Facilitate technical reviews and milestone gate assessments working directly with technical leads to validate solution readiness and acceptance.
Oversee documentation and deliverables required by government contracts including statements of work technical proposals and final reports.
Champion continuous improvement by capturing lessons learned and best practices to enhance future program execution and field deployments.
Act as the central point for issue escalation ensuring that barriers are resolved quickly and that projects stay on track.
Requirements
Bachelor's degree in engineering business or a related technical field.
Two or more years of experience in project coordination program support or operations within a technical organization.
Demonstrated ability to translate high level requirements into structured task breakdowns and timelines.
Strong written and verbal communication skills including experience coordinating across engineering teams.
Proficiency with project tracking tools for example Jira Asana Monday or equivalent.
Ability to obtain and maintain any security clearance or export control authorization required for defense related programs.
U.S. Person as defined by 22 C.F.R §120.62 including U.S. Citizen U.S. National lawful permanent residents refugee or asylee.
Willingness to work onsite at our headquarters in Irvine California with flexible hours to support focus and work life balance.
Experience supporting robotics autonomy aerospace or defense engineering programs.
Familiarity with government contracting structures including SBIR SOWs or deliverable based contracts.
Experience working directly with technical leads to define acceptance criteria and milestone definitions.
Prior experience in a fast growing startup environment.
Working knowledge of ITAR EAR compliance considerations in a program support context.
MS technical degree.
PMP certification.
Experience interacting and leading projects with various DoD stakeholders not limited to the US Army USSOCOM DARPA.
Experience managing projects related to rugged ground autonomy.
Nice to have
Experience supporting robotics autonomy aerospace or defense engineering programs.
Familiarity with government contracting structures including SBIR SOWs or deliverable based contracts.
Experience working directly with technical leads to define acceptance criteria and milestone definitions.
Prior experience in a fast growing startup environment.
Working knowledge of ITAR EAR compliance considerations in a program support context.
MS technical degree.
PMP certification.
Experience interacting and leading projects with various DoD stakeholders not limited to the US Army USSOCOM DARPA.
Experience managing projects related to rugged ground autonomy.
Practical notes
This is a fully onsite role at our headquarters in Irvine California.
The position requires U.S. Person eligibility in accordance with 22 C.F.R §120.62.
Flexible working hours are available to support focus and work life balance.
Candidates must be willing to work onsite and engage with federal stakeholders as required.
Security clearance and export control authorization may be required for some programs.
Travel related to program duties may be required.
This role reports to the Field AI Federal leadership team and operates in a fast paced defense technology environment.